


Missing Translations

by NervousAsexual



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Misunderstandings, They're both pretty jealous, can't rightfully tag this as m/m since, i headcanon garak as nb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 13:14:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12013506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAsexual/pseuds/NervousAsexual
Summary: Quark takes a break from routine to visit Garak on Cardassia. It isn't quite as fun as he imagined it would be.





	Missing Translations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Deathstar510](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathstar510/gifts).



"Welcome," Garak said, "to my humble abode."

Quark stood in the doorway and took in the shack. Or, more accurately, he stood in a large hole in the side of what couldn't even be generously called a shack and despaired.

"You live in a pile of rubble," he said at last.

Garak scoffed as he pushed aside a pile of assorted rags, revealing a small mattress in the middle of the space. "It may not be the Ferengi embassy, but it does all that I require."

"It does? What exactly does it do? Fall on your head at the least provocation?"

With the tiniest sigh of exasperation Garak took the luggage from Quark's hands and set it beside the bed. "It gives me adequate shelter while I experience multiple crises of faith simultaneously. And if I throw things around, why, who would ever know the difference?"

"I'll give you that much." Quark followed him over, started to sit down on the mattress, thought better of it, and instead sat down upon one of his suitcases. "When you invited me down here this is not exactly what I had pictured."

"Do you mind if I turn off the lights? We're still under a bit of a rolling blackout."

"Yes I do mind," Quark snapped. A bit of plaster had fallen from the ceiling, dusting his entire head, ears, teeth, nose and all in white. "How am I supposed to find my way around this dump if I can't see?"

"I'd imagined we would go to bed. It's getting rather late."

Quark looked out the window, which was in fact not a window but a hole in the wall that Garak had decorated with a blue and white sweater that was evidently meant to serve as a curtain.

"You had other plans?"

"No."

Garak took a seat on the mattress and patted the spot beside him. With a mighty sigh, Quark slid down beside him.

"I had assumed you would be tired after the shuttle," Garak said. Slowly, a little hesitantly, he put an arm around Quark's shoulders. "I generally am."

"You only came to visit me the one time."

Garak gave him a questioning look and doused the lights. "The reconstruction has kept me busy, as you can imagine."

"That's not what I meant."

They lay in the dark, looking up into the darkness.

"What're your plans for tomorrow?"

"I admit, I didn't think much farther than today. There is a community center going up for the younger ones tomorrow. We might go and help."

Quark wriggled away from Garak's arm. "What was that?"

"What was what? The community center?"

"Something was on me. I felt it."

Garak shrugged.

"It was something little. It was there, and when I went to touch it, it... Turn on the lights!"

"I told you, there are blackouts..."

"Garak, put on a light."

For a moment Garak didn't move, but at last he pulled away. After a moment a PADD lit up, bathing them both in weak blue light.

Quark slapped around the mattress. "Do you have... fleas?"

"It is possible. I hadn't noticed."

"How do you not notice being repeatedly bitten by disease-carrying insects?"

"They don't usually bother humanoids. Cardassian skin is too thick for them."

"Well, mine isn't!" Quark rolled swiftly from the bed, colliding with his suitcases. "I can't believe you would invite me into a house--not even a house! a pile of debris!--that's crawling with fleas! What did I ever do to you?"

"Well..." Garak considered. "You and Bashir did contrive behind my back to steal my kanar once."

"Does Bashir not mind the fleas, then?"

Garak's face was hard to read in the pale light. "What do you mean?"

"When you invite him down here."

"I've not seen Julian since I left the station. Which, I am beginning to suspect, you should have stayed at."

"The plan was to visit my boyfriend, not his fleas."

"Well, then maybe you should have visited the Great Link. I doubt they have fleas."

Quark gasped.

"Perhaps Odo might have popped out for a brief visit."

Without a word Quark got to his feet, grabbed his luggage, and stumbled toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere I won't have to listen to your... your... accusations! Good night, Garak."

"Well, good night, Quark," Garak shouted after him, but Quark had already found the door and squeezed out. Garak rolled over onto his side and curled into a comforting ball shape as if to sleep. But he didn't sleep for a long time. He only lay there, staring off into the darkness, alone once again.

* * *

 At some point he must have dozed off, because when he opened his eyes he smelled smoke. He reached out into the darkness for a heavy blanket--this wouldn't be the first time his makeshift home caught on fire--but as the sleep cleared from his eyes he saw flames, not in his home, but outside it.

Garak wrapped the blanket around himself, just in case his home did catch on fire and he had to leave in the midst of a cold cold night, and went over to the door.

In the yard, such as it was, a small fire was burning within the confines of a circle of rocks. Quark crouched at its side, holding a stick with a small box attached over the flames.

"Glad I brought my blood flea roaster," Quark said, not looking up. "Not quite as succulent, but good enough. Have some if you want."

He gestured toward a bowl sitting on his open suitcase. Garak drew a little closer and saw it was filled with small black flecks. He stirred the flecks with a finger. They did appear to be fleas.

"I do enjoy being with you," Quark said. He still stared into the flames. "I didn't mean what I tried to say about Bashir."

"Nor I about Odo." Garak sighed. "I know you enjoyed his company as well, and I know you miss him."

"It's not just him. I miss the way it used to be, on the station, before it all went sideways. Back then I didn't worry about fleas or blackouts or the Dominion. All I had to worry about was competition for profit and maybe getting accidentally married to a Klingon."

Garak had to chuckle, remembering that. "That was quite a surprise at the time. I had no idea you were into women."

"Grilka wasn't a woman, exactly. There was a Klingon word for it... you'd be amazed how many different genders the Klingons recognize. Which seems to be my type--people who don't quite meet that Ferengi gender binary. Guess that's how I wound up with you as my boyfriend, huh?"

Something in the fire popped. Garak wrapped his blanket a little tighter around himself. "You never called me that before today."

"Haven't I? Don't know why. It's what you are."

He popped a few fleas into his mouth. They were actually quite okay, as far as insects went. Something under the bowl caught his eye, and he moved the fleas aside. "What in the name of all things is this?"

Quark glanced over and winced. "Ugh."

Garak reached into the suitcase and extracted some sort of one piece item of clothing, short sleeved, no legs, blindingly prismatic, in the most offensive colors imaginable. "Is this... a swimsuit?"

"I'd thought we might be doing actual vacation things, not rebuilding a toppled military empire. Forget it."

Garak re-folded the swimsuit and put it back. "You didn't... really think this was going to be a vacation, did you?"

Quark shrugged. "I hoped."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I." Quark rubbed at his arm with his free hand.

He scooted a little closer to Quark. "Cold?"

"It's possible."

Garak opened up his blanket to let him in.

"Get that flea-infested thing away from me," Quark grumbled, but he didn't try to get away. He settled his head down on Garak's shoulder and gave the blood flea roaster a shake. "Do you have the slightest idea where we're going with all this?"

"I can't say that I do, Quark."

Quark sighed, but he didn't sound entirely sad. "I guess we'll figure it out as we go."

Instead of answering, Garak summoned up his courage and kissed Quark's forehead. "Good night, boyfriend of mine."

"Good morning, by now," Quark said grumpily--but Garak could see he was smiling.


End file.
